Vim & Vigor - Spring 2021 - 12

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The Dangers of Work

Injuries connected to the way we work are common. The statistics tell the story: In 2018, private
industry employers reported 2.8 million nonfatal
workplace injuries and illnesses, according to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics. This includes everything from strains, sprains and tears to overexertion injuries, cuts and falls.
Liberty Mutual Insurance's 2018 safety index
found that $13.7 billion was spent the year before
on overexertion injuries in the workplace.
It's no wonder that large companies and institutions have invested in ergonomically sound
equipment for their employees. But all of that
SPRING 2021 VIM & VIGOR

Pulled muscles and sprains are common
among serious athletes. Vascular conditions are less common, so they are easily
overlooked. These include narrowing or
kinking of the artery in the pelvis or an
impingement of the main artery behind
the knee. Fortunately, UVA Heart and
Vascular Center has experts to diagnose
and treat these conditions.
Cyclists who do thousands of repetitions in an extremely flexed position with
max effort can develop external iliac
artery endofibrosis, says UVA vascular
surgeon Margaret Tracci, MD. Popliteal
artery entrapment is typically caused
by an abnormal anatomic relationship
between this artery behind the knee and
the tendon or gastrocnemius muscle
of the calf. Symptoms typically appear
during exercise and include early fatigue,
burning, cramping and pain in the part of
the leg below the affected artery-either
the hip and thigh or calf and ankle.
Diagnosis requires exercise testing
and noninvasive vascular testing. " When
you get these patients on a stationary
bike for the iliac disease or have them
flex their ankles against pressure with
popliteal entrapment, they will often
have a 50 percent drop in blood pressure in the ankle after exercise, " Dr.
Tracci says.
Preferred treatment for these conditions is open surgery-with iliac endofibrosis, to repair or bypass the affected
artery, and with popliteal entrapment, to
release the artery from muscle or tendon
structures that pinch off flow.
Vascular disorders can be devastating
for performance athletes if not addressed
in a timely way. " These conditions can
become more severe the longer you wait, "
Dr. Tracci adds.

PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES

'I exercise, I work out, I get stronger.' Or they
think about acute injuries: a car accident,
they fall off their bike, " Zavitz says. " But a
great percentage of musculoskeletal injuries
come from fatigue over time. "
Those injuries aren't going to kill you, but
they can be serious-and can seriously affect
your quality of life. Think of things like carpal
tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, rotator cuff injuries or lower back pain. Many people carry on
with their lives, but many others find those
conditions debilitating. And besides, who
wants to live a life of daily pain?
Read on to find out which habits in your
everyday life might make you vulnerable to
injury and what to do about them.

Vascular Disorders
Affect Athletes

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2021

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